Skate



Julie 23, 1931.

A. G. BENETATos SKATE Filed March 17, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 23,1931. A BENETATOS 1,811,532 i SKATE Filed March 1'7, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet2- Patented June `23, 1931 PATENr FICE;

.ANDREW e. nnnisrnrosor; NEW YORK, N. Y. Y

SKATEy Appiigation filed Maren 1930. serial No. 436,358.

My invention relates` to new and usefulvimprovements in askate, and moreparticularly to that class of skates generally Vknown asroller skatesand one of the objects of the present invention isV to provide balls -asthe movable elementsin place of the .usual rollers or wheels. n

Another object of the inventionis to provide a skate including a foot.receiving portion carrying sockets on the underside to hold relativelylarge balls which bear against antifriction devices or ball bearingswhereby the supporting balls may be allowed to freely revolve when inContact with a surface over which the user of the skateis traveling.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple brake means whichmay be actu' ated by the person using the. skate to stop the same whennecessary.

A still further object ofthe invention is to generally improve theconstructionfof a device of thiskind. Y v j With these ends inview,fthisv invention consists in the details of Vconstruction andcombination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specificallydesignated by the claims. W

In order that'those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertainsmay understand how to make and use the same, Iwill describeits construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1', is a side elevation Vof a skate constructedin accordance with'my invention, a portionV of the rear end being brokenaway and shown in section to illustrate a detail of construction andthe-holding strap being removed.- Y i Fig. 2, is a bottom plan viewthereof. Fig. 3, is a top plan view of the same with the brake operatingmember removed. Fig. 4, is a section onthe lined- 4 of Fig. 2'.

In carrying out the invention as herein embodied, 5 represents the footpiece or the foot receiving part of the skate, preferably having theoutline of a foot or shoe and also preferably formed in two pieces, onebelng 50 the heel section 6 and the other the toesection 7. Thesetwo'sections are adjustably connected togetherbya plate 8 secured to oneof the sections7 as the sectiorr 7 by suitable fastening devices 9 andprojecting beyond the meeting edge of said section 7 `so as to overlapthe `heel section 6, saidplate being provided witha slot 10 forregistra# tion with a-fastening devicev 11,7sucl1 as a vbolt and nut sothat said nut may be loosened and after the desired adjustment has beenobtained, the nut is again screwed home to maintain theadjustinent. i

The toe section 7 may; also have an eX- tension l2 of much vthinnermaterial than that used in the sections 6 and 7 'and said extensioncarries asuitable clamp structure 18 to clamp the skate on the sole of asnoe. vThe heel section 6 is provided with Van upstanding flange 14ofleather, metal or other suitable material so as to form al pocket orcompartment to receive the heel of the shoe and to hold the. heel of theshoe in proper re.-

lation to the skate. Sucha strapV 15-and its buckle 16 are carried bythe flange and are adapted to pass around the instep of the user;` Inthe under face of the foot portion or more particularly the sections 6and 7 thereof are formed 4recesses V17 preferably ar-` ranged in pairstransversely of their respecf tive sections and within these recessesare mounted the anti-friction devices or bearingV balls 18 containedwithin ball races 19. and against said antiffriction devices or? bearingballs rest the supporting -balls 20-.which are relatively large. The`supporting balls ,are held in place by socket members 21 or'collarshaving the innersurfaces voftheir. walls inclined or tapered sothat theinternal die ameterof said socket members at their outer or lower endsrare smaller than the greatest diameter of the supporting ballsandthere-v fore prevent displacement. of said support ing balls. The socketmembers are provided with arms. 22 through whichv fastening vdevices 23are passed and projecting into the foot portion of the sections oftheskate to hold'the socket member in place. r y Y On the underside ofthefoot portion of the skate andV more particularly the lieel section i 6of the foot portion and in proximity tothe supporting balls at the rearof the skate is a bearing 24 for the brake rod 25. To one end of thisbrake rod is secured the U-shapedL brake member 26, the arms of Whichare slidably mounted in bearings 27, one on each side and preferablyslightly to the rear of the bearing 241 and projecting through theretaining collars for the rear supporting balls so that under certainconditions, the ends of said arms may be moved into Contact with saidrear supporting balls for slackening their speed of rotation and finallybring into a stand-still. The brake member is normally held out ofcontact With the supporting balls by a spring 28 which is coiled aboutthe brake rod 25 With one end engaging the bearing 24, as the stationaryelement and the other end engaging the brake member, as the movableelement. The brake may be actuated against the action of the spring 28by a suitable fiexible pull member 29 having one end attached to the endof the brake rod 25 opposite the brake member and then passing through ahole 30 in the foot piece of the skate and then through a groove 3l inthe upper :tace of the foot piece and finally out through a rear hole 32to the back of the skate and this pull should be of suticient lengththat the person using the skates may readily grasp the same for useWhenever necessary. For instance the ordinarily free end thereof mightbe tied to the belt of the skate user.

In practice, a pair of skates made in this manner are used somewhatsimilar to ordinary roller skates but because of the relatively smallcontact surface of the supporting balls with the surface over which aperson is traveling there is likely to be less friction and therefore itis possible for the user to make greater speed than where rollers areused.

Of couse I do not Wish to be limited to the exact details ofconstruction as herein shown, as these may be varied Within the limitsof the appended claims Without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and usefulis 1. A skate consisting of a foot piece, socket members mounted on theouter surface of said foot piece, supporting balls retained by saidsockets, and anti-friction devices carried by the foot piece and engagedby the supporting balls.

2. The structure set forth in claim l in combination with a manuallyoperated brake coactine with the supporting balls.

3. Ik skate consisting of two main sections coactinff to provide a footpiece, means to adjustably connect said sections, each of said sectionshaving a pair of recesses formed in their under faces, bearing ballslocated Within said recesses, supporting balls engaging the bearingballs, socket forming collars partially surrounding the supporting ballsto prevent accidental displacement of said supporting balls, armscarried by said collars, and fastening means passing through said armsand into the sections of the foot piece.

4:. The structure set forth in claim 3 in combination with bearingsdepending from the under side of the heel section of the foot piece,adjacent the supporting balls thereon, a brake rod slidably mounted inone of the bearings, a U-shaped brake member carried by one end of saidbrake rod and suitably mounted in the other bearings and projectingthrough the adjacent socket collars for coaction with the supporting'balls in said collars, a spring normally maintaining the brake out oicontact with the supporting balls and a pull secured to the opposite endof the brake rod and passing through a hole in the heel section ot the'foot piece and then through a groove in the upper surface and finallyout through a hole in the rea-r of the heel section for actuating thebrake against the action o' the spring. j

5. In a skate, a toot piece having recesses in its under face, bearingraces mounted in said recesses, bearing balls in said races, supportingballs having portions projecting into the recesses for engagement withthe bearing balls and socket collars having internal diameters at theirouter ends smaller than the greatest diameters ot the supporting ballsand partially surrounding said supporting balls .and Fixed to the footpiece to prevent accidental displacement of the supporting balls.

G. In a skate including balls as the supporting means, a brake slidablymounted on the skate for co-operation with a ball, means to normallymaintain the brake in an inoperative position, and means whereby saidbrake iii) may 'be moved manually into an operative position against theaction of the spring.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto atfixed my signature ANDREW G.BENETATOS.

Mill

